Manage Grocery Expenses
The below content is meant to be informational and not used as financial advice.
November 7, 2025
Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store
The rising cost of groceries is being felt by everyone. It’s painful. There are weeks I start to wonder “do I really need to eat every day?” 😊
In addition to the usual (look for sales, use coupons, buy in bulk, take advantage of rewards) here are some of the tricks I personally use to help keep my food costs down – maybe some will be helpful to you as well!
In addition to the usual (look for sales, use coupons, buy in bulk, take advantage of rewards) here are some of the tricks I personally use to help keep my food costs down – maybe some will be helpful to you as well!
🔘 Make a Plan: Before I shop, I plan my meals for the week. Grocery shopping is my least favorite chore, and I only want to do it once a week. No running to the store every night for this girl.
I look at my schedule to see if the menu needs to be adjusted for what’s on the calendar. For instance, if I know I have a late evening at work, dinner that night is likely to be something frozen or leftover. On weekends when I have more time, I typically make a big meal (spaghetti, pot roast, meatloaf, etc.) that I can then use on those ‘leftover’ nights or for lunches through the week.
🔘 Make a List: I take the meals on the menu and break them down into the ingredients I will need to make them. I cross off any I already have on hand, and what is left makes up the bulk of my shopping list. I then add any staple items (bread, milk, eggs) or condiments that I've run out of, snacks, pet food, etc.
🔘 Stretch ingredients: If I am buying specific items for one meal and know there'll be more than I need, I try to plan another dinner that week or the next using some of those ingredients. For example, if I am making Greek flatbread pizzas, I can use leftover olives, feta and artichoke hearts with some greens to make a Greek salad.
🔘 Use a pick-up option: The first time I used Walmart’s pick-up was when I had COVID, but still wanted my Thanksgiving dinner. Place an order online? I don’t have to get out of my car and go into a people-y store?? LOVE IT!
Once I got over my ‘hallelujah’ moment and used it a few times, I realized I was keeping my grocery bill to a pretty consistent amount. Why? Because I wasn’t physically shopping in the store where I would be merrily spotting & adding things to my cart that I don't really need.
Fun fact: I have little self-control when it comes to food. Which is another reason going shopping only once a week is the way to go for me.
🔘 I use a variety of meals on my menu to help keep the grocery bill in check:
I look at my schedule to see if the menu needs to be adjusted for what’s on the calendar. For instance, if I know I have a late evening at work, dinner that night is likely to be something frozen or leftover. On weekends when I have more time, I typically make a big meal (spaghetti, pot roast, meatloaf, etc.) that I can then use on those ‘leftover’ nights or for lunches through the week.
🔘 Make a List: I take the meals on the menu and break them down into the ingredients I will need to make them. I cross off any I already have on hand, and what is left makes up the bulk of my shopping list. I then add any staple items (bread, milk, eggs) or condiments that I've run out of, snacks, pet food, etc.
🔘 Stretch ingredients: If I am buying specific items for one meal and know there'll be more than I need, I try to plan another dinner that week or the next using some of those ingredients. For example, if I am making Greek flatbread pizzas, I can use leftover olives, feta and artichoke hearts with some greens to make a Greek salad.
🔘 Use a pick-up option: The first time I used Walmart’s pick-up was when I had COVID, but still wanted my Thanksgiving dinner. Place an order online? I don’t have to get out of my car and go into a people-y store?? LOVE IT!
Once I got over my ‘hallelujah’ moment and used it a few times, I realized I was keeping my grocery bill to a pretty consistent amount. Why? Because I wasn’t physically shopping in the store where I would be merrily spotting & adding things to my cart that I don't really need.
Fun fact: I have little self-control when it comes to food. Which is another reason going shopping only once a week is the way to go for me.
🔘 I use a variety of meals on my menu to help keep the grocery bill in check:
- Crockpot/slow cooker recipes usually have a minimal number of ingredients.
- Soups in cooler weather and salads during warmer months. Both are fairly inexpensive to make and can be supplemented with bread, biscuits, a sandwich…
- Breakfast for dinner is a low cost meal - and one of my favorites.
- Any meal that can be doubled without adding too much to the cost is divided and frozen for another time (lasagna, pasta, casseroles, etc.).
- Every few months I go through the pantry and freezer and try to use up what I find there. This helps keep that week’s costs down and ensures items aren’t getting overlooked, going past their ‘good by’ date, then getting tossed.
- Bonus tip: any meals requiring fresh ingredients are made in the 2-3 days after shopping to avoid having to throw out moldy mushrooms or fuzzy raspberries. I absolutely loathe throwing food away.
- PS - you don’t have to buy something you won’t eat or use JUST because you have a coupon.
Keep in mind that the usefulness of any tip or trick depends on your budget, the size of your family and how busy you are – like spandex pants, managing grocery expenses is not a ‘one size fits all’ kind of thing. Try different methods and see what works for you! Sometimes just a little planning can make a big difference.
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